Ward 2 City Council seat

Incumbent Salay says service, experience keys for post

With Bridge Street District plans still under way, Amy Salay thinks consistency is the key for Dublin City Council.

The 20-year Dublin resident is running for a fourth term on Dublin City Council against challenger Kari Hertel and wants to help see the plans for Bridge Street District redevelopment through.

"I think that we are at a critical point," Salay said.

"Experience is important with where we are with the Bridge Street Corridor," she said, adding coming development on Dublin's west side also needs an experienced hand.

Salay lives in Heather Glen with her husband, Steve, and their children, Rachel and Stephen are at Ohio State University and Ohio University, respectively.

Salay said her job as a special needs transportation driver and aide give her plenty of time to see to Dublin matters.

"It's about personal commitment," she said.

"I'm in Dublin throughout the day. I can meet with people and attend to calls and emails.

"The service mentality at my core is what it comes down to and I hope to be able to continue it," Salay said.

While redevelopment plans for the Bridge Street District are in the beginning stages, Salay said she'd like to see some critical projects in place before she's done with council.

"One of the most important things is to get the river corridor (framework) in place," she said. "I'd like to have a few catalytic projects done and get us moving forward."

A large portion of the Bridge Street District runs through Ward 2 and Salay said she wants to represent resident interests during the projects. Throughout her time on council, Salay said she's been a strong voice for residents, involving people on the Coffman Park Expansion and Tara Hill Traffic Calming task forces.

"We became much more focused on residents," she said of council.

If elected to another term, Salay said keeping development high quality and fiscal responsibility will also be a goal. Council can't do much to lower taxes because the lion's share goes to the school district, but Salay said they can support the community.

"What we can do is continue to do what we have with economic development and bring good jobs to our community and make sure infrastructure is in place to support that," she said.

Salay also hopes to see a new Dublin branch library before she leaves council.

"We're the second busiest library in their system," she said, adding that she supports building a library that would support learning for the entire community. "I think the community will want to be involved with funding the library."